Lutheran and Reformed theologians developed the teaching that there are three uses of the law: the civil – that which regulates society and government and is common to all people; the pedagogical – that function of the law that shows us our sin and our need for Christ; and the normative – that which shows us the rules and norms for the Christian life, what conduct is good and acceptable to God.

One of the things that surfaced in my pastorate was the need to sit down and offer financial counsel to members of my congregation. In a church of any size, chances are you’ll have people who struggle, for one reason or another, with making ends meet.

In the twentieth and twenty-first century, Christian counseling has taken off like wildfire. Seminaries that once saw preparing men to be pastors as their bread and butter now offer counseling degrees.

I once had a colleague tell me that a wealthy businessman and member of his congregation privately approached him and said, “I am prepared to donate a lot of money to the church, but I have this one condition.